The Columbia City Council voted down proposed transit contracts for extended bus service for student apartment complexes including The Pointe at Rock Quarry Park, Campus Lodge and The Reserve at its meeting Tuesday.

Mayor Bob McDavid said the proposed contracts by the complexes were below the market value and were therefore unsustainable. He pointed out that these contracts provide service at a cost of four to five times smaller a rate charged by comparably sized cities in the Midwest, many of which are college towns.

At this time, the council still plans on making busing available to those locations, however students will have to buy passes.

The council also voted to approve putting together the Transit System Task Force proposed by McDavid at a previous council meeting.

Despite transit cuts, McDavid believes that Columbia can increase its ridership from 2 million to 10 million in the next five years with the help of the new task force.

“We are capable of having one of the most robust transit services in the Midwest,” McDavid said.

The Pointe would have paid $7,000 annually for day service and limited evening service Thursday through Saturday, Columbia Transportation Supervisor Drew Brooks said in a prior interview. The Reserve and Campus Lodge, who endeavored to jointly fund a contract, would have paid $3,427.20 per semester, per community for evening service.

Michael Davis, Regional Vice President for Ambling Student Housing, said Brooks met with Campus Lodge Property Manager Lindsey Bright Thursday where Brooks brought up the city’s plans to require students to pay a semester transportation fee for bus services.

Bright said she felt the City Council, by voting down the complexes’ proposed contracts, was sending a message to the university by punishing the students who currently use the transit system.

“It was unfortunate that the decision was made so last-minute,” Bright said. “It is up to the City Council at this point. They are focusing on the students because they make up 70 percent of the ridership.”

Sixth Ward Councilwoman Barbara Hoppe said that while the City Council believes it is important to provide service to the apartments, the council was told that the agreements would not have covered all of the costs.

“The ultimate goal is a system mirrored off of other college communities, where students pay a semester fee and receive excellent transit service,” Sixth Ward Councilwoman Barbara Hoppe said. “We are already taking a loss and we do not want to go further in the hole.”

The Reserve chose not to comment.

“We are very disappointed with the city of Columbia as the evening route was fully funded by Campus Lodge and the Reserve so the city was not losing one cent,” Davis said. “Additionally, other riders would be allowed access to the shuttle so there was an opportunity for the city to make a profit.”

Columbia Transit will still provide day service to the apartment complexes, as well as Log Hill Run Apartments, Columbia Public Works Department spokeswoman Jill Stedem said. Presently, the city is not considering any other contracts from the apartments to provide night service.

“We will await direction from the city manager and council on how to proceed,” Stedem said. “The city cannot afford to continue night service as we do not have a budget to cover those expenses. The council disapproved authorizing the apartment complexes to pay for it.”

Without the proposed contracts, service to the apartment complexes such as Campus Lodge would begin at 6:40 a.m. end at 5:40 p.m., said Davis.

“We shouldn’t have to worry about having a ride to campus,” Campus Lodge resident and MU sophomore Krista Pulley said. “We signed a lease with the knowledge that the bus would be running late.”

The daytime shuttle service with the city of Columbia is contracted through the upcoming school year, Davis said. Unless MU assesses each student a transit fee in their tuition, however, the city has stated that they may cancel next year’s contract.

“Our ability to provide a night shuttle service has been a great benefit to both our residents and the environment,” Davis said. “The last-minute cancellation of the bus service by the city is again leaving our residents scrambling for alternative transportation to campus in the evenings.”

The council will look over some amendments to the budget at the Sept. 19 meeting and then plans to take a final vote on the budget. The budget that is passed will go into effect Oct. 1.

City Manager Mike Matthes has proposed cuts to services and substantial fare increases to make public transit more economically viable. Currently, the transit system loses about $100,000 a month and money used to subsidize it is expected to run out by next July, Matthes said during the meeting.

A large crowd of constituents showed up at City Hall for the meeting, primarily to voice concern for the proposed cuts to the transit system. A steady stream of approximately 20 individuals representing different disability groups, those with previous experience in transportation work, some disabled citizens and simply concerned citizens came up to voice their opinions.

Many cited how, for people using wheelchairs, buses are the only public transportation available. Other concerns raised were the fact that those without an automobile, who are often of a low socio-economic demographic, rely on transit to get to jobs and other necessities.

Mary Hussmann of Grass Roots Organizing spoke to declare her group’s stance against transit cuts.

“We want to go on record as not supporting any increases or cuts,” Hussman said.

Alyce Turner, a member of the Public Transportation Advisory Commission, reiterated her commission’s stance in support of increasing fees for those who are older than 18, predominantly college students, while maintaining the reduced rates currently received by children younger than 18 and those on federal assistance programs. During the meeting, McDavid said 75 percent of transit ridership is students, which Turner argued would provide significant revenue for the city.

Students older than 18 who currently receive half-price fares would have their fares doubled under the commission’s proposal.